1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the control of a hybrid vehicle in which automatic stop control of an internal combustion engine is performed.
2. Description of Related Art
In a hybrid vehicle, automatic stop control of an internal combustion engine is performed on the basis of a state of the vehicle. In Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-116861 (JP-2010-116861 A), there is described an art of accurately estimating the temperature of a catalyst in a vehicle in which automatic stop control of an internal combustion engine is performed.
While the internal combustion engine has been stopped due to the performance of automatic stop control, the temperature in an intake passage of the internal combustion engine may rise. Especially in the case where a hot wire airflow meter is provided in the intake passage, the temperature around the intake air temperature sensor may rise during the stop of the internal combustion engine. Thus, when the internal combustion engine is restarted, a difference may arise between a detection value of the intake air temperature sensor and an actual intake air temperature. As a result, the control accuracy in performing control of the internal combustion engine (e.g., fuel injection control) based on the detection value of the intake air temperature sensor may deteriorate.